In a vehicle such as an automobile, in the case where an electric cable is attached to a position, such as a position in an engine compartment, for example, outside a passenger room, a synthetic resin tube surrounding the circumference of the electric cable is used to protect and waterproof the electric cable. The synthetic resin tube is an example of a protection member (protective tube) for the electric cable.
For example, a flexible synthetic resin tube such as a corrugated tube may be used as a protection member that also has a waterproofing function. It should be noted that the corrugated tube that also has the waterproofing function is a corrugated tube that is continuous in a circumferential direction.
Moreover, Patent Document 1 (JP 2004-224156A) discloses the use of a metal pipe surrounding the circumference of an electric cable, as a protection member for the electric cable. The metal pipe has greater shock resistance than a synthetic resin tube and also has the waterproofing function and the function of maintaining the electric cable in a shape that conforms to a predetermined route.
Moreover, there are cases where, as a protection member for that portion of an electric cable for use in vehicles that is installed near a hard and heavy object such as an engine, a metal protector having excellent shock resistance and the function of maintaining the shape of the electric cable is used. Generally, a metal protector has a structure in which a plurality of metal members that are formed in predetermined shapes are combined together.